Skip to main content

Flashback Friday



I wasn't always a willing team player.  With regret I must confess that I sometimes balked when heading out to family gatherings.  I should say "her" family gatherings.  Mine were fine.  

 As Mackenzie has noted on this Polaroid we have Grandma Grandpa, Dad and Darryl.  Christmas of 1994.  The current Mrs. Blythe's folks, Loren and Doris, or as I called them, Lo and Do.  They were nice people and, once they got over the shock of their daughter marrying me, hid their feelings admirably.  I'd like to think that the more they got to know me the more they liked me, but then we often create fantasies to mask reality.  

 These guys were salt-of-the earth type people.  "Salt-of-the-earth" types have gotten a bad rap: it can be kind lingo to describe hard working, no play folks.  These guys worked hard but had fun, too.  Ask Lo about the last Cubs game and he'd say he didn't pay any attention to them, then rattle off all the key plays.  He also had a kind of strange sign language thing with the Wombie when he'd see him out working in Emerald City.  He was crazy about Kenze and Brendan.   

Do was the foundation of the household.  You could tell that right off.  And by foundation I mean chief chef, information center, activity director, director of procurement and someone you wanted on your side.       

 Lo and Do had kids, then waited about 15 years and started over again and had 2 more.  Darryl was one of the older kids and, sadly, passed away a few years ago.  The remaining siblings, Carolyn and Patti are nice and friendly to me  - if charm hasn't yet won them over, then surely my longevity has.

 By the looks of the picture I have been put in the corner, but in actuality, that was my favorite place - out of the spotlight, away from the hubbub and quietly observant, like a good in-law.  I had my time-out spots to gather my wits and breath.  

 This photo is somewhat chilling to me - I am the only one alive.  Life is short - I'm going out and have fun today.  Tomorrow might be too late.       

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless.  Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001.  It was one of those things that can generate crime:  two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job.   Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things.  Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold.   But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find.   His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead.  He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds.  He will be paralyzed for life.   None of this is pleasant.  Reading the f...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Mary Davis Home - Part 2

None of these pictures were taken by me,  they came right from the MDH website.  I am posting these so that friends who have never seen inside where I worked can gain access.  After 27 years I have many stories, tales and acquaintances.  But, I wouldn't know how to express them appropriately in a few paragraphs.  I enjoyed 98% of my stay there and hope I made a difference in the lives of a fraction of the kids who entered.  The original MDH at this site was just the front part.  The large red-roofed area in back was added on in the 90's. This is the Jerry Carlton library.  It was unofficially named after one of the counselors who truly loved the place.   He passed away around 2002, I think.  Mr. Farber looks like he is explaining a few things to a client. The classroom. Activity area with the gym behind the windows. Another shot of the classroom. It was a little different area to teach since we had 2 classes and 2 teachers i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Statuary In North Straub Park

The Vinoy is not the only park in town.  The place is fairly littered with them, and almost all, except Bum Paradise, are pretty nice.  This is North Straub and they have some old pieces in that seem to have suffered from time and perhaps human folly.     These and some 30 other statues were imported from Italy by local developer C. Perry Snell to help beautify the city.  Mr. Snell was in real estate and during the depression he went on a European shopping trip to collect items for the city.  He obtained these from Italy and installed them in this park even after the bottom fell in the markets.  He fulfilled his obligations at great personal loss to his own company and wealth.  Halso continued to pay his staff during those tough times.  He developed many areas in the city, Vinoy, Snell Isle, Crescent Lake and the beach area down around Fort DeSoto.  He lived from 1869 until 1949 and then buried in Kentucky.  I wo...
Post a Comment
Read more